Omicron Variant Explained: Spread, Subvariants & Implications for India

 While the whole world is panicking about the new variant of COVID-19, and since in my previous articles we had insinuated the possibility of a variant coming from either Asia or Africa, for which we have also provided adequate rationale in the same. Today, we will be talking mostly about the new variant and what we know about it few parts of this article are taken from various resources, which will be cited at the end.

What we know

While apart from knowing that the virus is highly mutated and probably has high virulence the experts seem to have no further idea as there is not enough data to support their hypothesis nay theories, “what we know so far is just a miniscule about the virus and since there is no data to suggest that it is more infectious and more harmful, and to say so would be too early” Dr shahid jameel (virologist).

Another report says “Omicron, the SARS-CoV-2 variant responsible for a cluster of cases in South Africa and that is now spreading around the world, is the most heavily mutated variant to emerge so far and carries mutations similar to changes seen in previous variants of concern associated with enhanced transmissibility and partial resistance to vaccine induced immunity.” (Full article)

Lawrence Young, a virologist and professor of molecular oncology at Warwick Medical School, said, “This new variant of theCOVID-199 virus is very worrying. This variant carries some changes we’ve seen previously in other variants, but never altogether in one virus. It also has novel mutations that we’ve not seen before.”

In total, the variant’s genome has around 50 mutations, including more than 30 in the spike protein, the part that interacts with human cells before cell entry and that has been the primary target for current vaccines. (lbid.)

Worrying factor

One of the omicron variant’s mutations leads to “S gene target failure” (or “S gene dropout”), meaning that one of several areas of the gene that are targeted by PCR testing gives a false negative. This can be used as a “surrogate marker,” allowing genome sequencing to be targeted, Peacock said, particularly where circulating strains are predominantly S gene positive, as is the case with the delta variant (ibid)

Personal Analysis

While the experts have reasons to believe that the virus and its mutation might be non-lethal as there is no reported serious case of omicron world-wide, but the possibility that the virus is much more lethal than its previous variants still persists, the reason to say so it that when a virus mutates there are n number of mutations happening in them and not all of them are virulent and dangerous, the one that are weak are dead the moment they are conceived and only the stronger once are passed out. Having established the theory of levels and how mutation gets stronger in my previous articles it is much evident that only viruses which are better in any terms than the previous ones are passed out, having said that and to believe in the theory we have all reasons to believe that the variant is must more potential than any of its previous versions.

While the people out there might ask do they have to worry if they are vaccinated, well the answer in that scenario might be a little tricky as there are a few possibilities and to list them out we have to consider various variables into account, to simplify it and understand better let us take these scenarios in cases.

Case 1:

Let us say that the candidate is fully vaccinated and he has a good immunity, takes good care of body and fitness (in a nutshell s/he is a fitness freak), and since it is an established the fact that vaccination is just an addition to your own immunity and can never be replaced by human immunity, we know, in this case the vaccination will be effective enough, the person might get sick and not know at all while still being a carrier. Which is still a bit scary as s/he can be a carrier but be affected by it. In this case, the candidate will be safe and sound, and s/he has nothing to worry about.

Case 2:

Let us assume that the immunity of this candidate is compromised but s/he take full precaution and is relatively fit than their average counterpart, in such a case the immune response of the individual might be a little compromised, but would still wouldn’t take the individual to a grave danger due to his/her lifestyle. But, there is a chance that it might mutate and adapt to the new change and mutate, and in such a case, the chances are that the virus might gain immunity to vaccination and may reduce the efficacy of vaccination by a major point.

Case 3:

Let us assume that the candidate is fully immunocompromised and has a lot of co-morbidities, and is completely ignorant towards them, and s/he is just more ignorant. It will be easier for the virus to enter and do serious harm to the said person. In such cases, destruction might be inevitable; the survival chances of such a candidate, irrespective of age, might be seriously compromised.

Case 4:

Age factor, while all of the scientist are trying to find a relation of the virus with age clusters vis age groups of 0-5, 5-12, 12-18, 20-45 and 45+, while the approach to figure such relation is a standard operating procedure and is a necessary step to do, we fail to realize that in the view of the virus there are no such boundaries, the virus is not intelligent enough to demarcate age relations but it responds and mutates on the level of individual’s immunity ( as explained earlier). If an individual is at the peak of his/her age and suffers from co-morbidities, comes under the infectious criterion, Vis, a certain blood group, body type, and follows a certain lifestyle. There are his a high chance that a new mutation can emerge from such an individual. To which there are several reasons, vis good immunity, but poor management, bad lifestyle, etc.

Is there a way out?

While it is always said that there is always a way out, and there is a solution to every problem, this is a bit complex one. Or, are we just making it more complex? While the scientist are working day and night to make an effective vaccination, there doesn’t seem to be a way out unless a new methodology to develop vaccination is devised, today we need a vaccination which would either cut off the supply of basic ingredients to the virus or say the basic energy source and hit the virus when its weak. When such a vaccination is devised or made, we have a generic medicine which can tackle any virus, no matter how dangerous, but since the basic structure of the virus is attacked, it has minimal chances to survive and hence reproduce nay mutate.

But, the question we need to ask ourselves is, is such a vaccination possible?

Well, for now, it just seems to be a theory, and no literature could be found on ways to isolate essentiasuppliesly to the virus, making it weaker and killing it, but many research studies are being conducted as of now, which are trying to figure out how to do this.